


A Soul for a Soul

by ShiroTony



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers 4, Gen, Infinity Gems, Marvel Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 20:01:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14678418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiroTony/pseuds/ShiroTony
Summary: This story focuses on two relationships after Thanos was defeated.





	A Soul for a Soul

**Author's Note:**

> This might be a bit heartbreaking so I'm sorry.  
> But I had to write it.  
> I didn't want to put the relationship thingy (I have no idea how to say this) on it, so it says that there is no romantic relationship. This is not entirely true, there are two relationships, and they are important but I didn't want to focus on the romantic aspects and that's why I left it like that.

He had expected that the gauntlet would be too big, since Thanos was a titan, but somehow it fit perfectly. It didn't was as cold and hard as he had thought, it felt like an ordinary glove made out of leather, but it was heavy.  
Tony snapped with his fingers.  
The next thing he felt was an incredible pain and he screamed. His arm seemed to burn and the pain spread through his whole body.  
“Tony?”  
Steve. Tony had tried not to talk to him too much, otherwise he would have tried to kill him again. But at the moment that didn't matter. Cap ripped the gauntlet of and threw it away, while Tony clutched his arm against his chest, biting his lip, so he would stop screaming.  
“What did you do?”  
“What I should have done two days ago, after Thanos was defeated. I brought them back. All of them.”  
“But-”  
“No! We talked and discussed long enough without a real solution. I saw the chance, I took it. They are coming back and we can finally go home.”  
“But what was the price? And don't tell me there wasn't one, Tony. The reason we didn't do it was because of the price we had to pay.”  
He looked worried. Steve Rogers, the man who betrayed Tony, looked worried.  
“The price doesn't concern you. I alone have to pay it and in order to get everyone back, I gladly do so. Be happy, Rogers, you'll get your friend back, and stop bothering me.”

It started. Everywhere the dust, the ashes, started to whirl around as a incredibly strong wind came.  
The ashes and the wind brought every single person back.  
Tony starred into the mass of people, looking for Pepper and Peter. The first one he saw was Bucky Barnes, the man who killed his parents. Bucky looked confused, as he stumbled into Steve.  
“What happened? I don't remember... We were in Wakanda and...”  
“I know. Don't worry about it, I'll tell you later. I'm just glad that you are back.”  
“Tony! Are you alright? Steve wouldn't tell me what happened and... Oh dear God.”  
Rhodey's eyes widened as he saw Tony's arm. Behind him was Bruce, together with this young girl, Shuri, T'Challa's sister.  
“Shuri, you might want to take a look at this.”  
“No, I'm fine. I just...”  
There. He saw her. Seeing Pepper filled Tony with so much relief, he couldn't think about anything anymore. He forgot the price he had to pay for this miracle, he forgot how badly injured he was, everything he saw was that she was back. And next to her? The kid.  
“Mister Stark!”  
Peter pulled Pepper with him and fell into Tony's arms.  
“It was so weird, I'm glad I'm back and I'm so sorry about saying these stupid things and...”  
“It's fine, Peter. You are back and that is everything that is important right now.”  
Tony freed himself from the kid and buried his face in Peppers neck, as he hold her.  
Nothing was important anymore, not the pain in his arm, not the kid, not the price. Nothing but Peppers arms around him, her smell, her voice, her everything.  
She whispered calming words, but he didn't really hear her.  
She was back.

 

It was weird being on Earth again, after so many years.  
Peter looked around, trying to find his friends, trying to find Gamora. Rationally he knew that the possibility of finding her among all these people that where killed because of the Infinity Stones was low, but he hoped.  
“I am Groot.”  
“I'm happy to see you too, buddy.”  
Rocket sat on Groot's shoulder, crying. “Don't disappear like that ever again, understood?”  
“I am Groot.”  
“That's the best promise you've ever made.”  
“Quill!” Drax seemed to appear next to him, out of nowhere. “Where is the bug lady? Where is Mantis? Oh, there she is, it's fine, I found her.”  
Drax and Mantis established an extraordinary friendship these past four years and it felt so good to see those two together again. But there was still no sign of Gamora. Instead Peter found the weird Doctor with the magical powers.  
“Peter Quill. I need to talk to you.”, he said.  
“Strange.”  
“Listen. I know you are looking for Gamora, but you won't find her here. She is not going to come back.”  
“Don't say that, you-”  
“I said listen. She won't come back, because her soul was sacrificed for the Soul Stone. There might be a possibility to bring her back, if you bring the Soul Stone to where it belongs. I can't guarantee it, I haven't seen it. But there might be a chance and I know that you would love to take that chance.”  
“How-”  
“If you want the Soul Stone, you need to sacrifice something you love. A soul for a soul. And if you give the Stone back, maybe you can get back what you love. But as I already said, this is a theory, no guarantee. You might get her back but you have to know that it is possible that nothing happens at all.”  
“But... it is a chance, right?”  
“Yes. A chance.”

Peter looked at the gauntlet. It was completely destroyed and somewhere between these pieces of gold where the Infinity Stones. Tony stood next to him, his left arm damaged beyond repair, but still alive. His wife, Pepper, held his hand and the way she looked at him, it was clear as day that she loved him more than anything. And that she was worried.  
“I need the Soul Stone. I have to try to get Gamora back.”  
“I know, Strange told me.” Tony's voice sounded tired and in his eyes one could see that this man saw the end of everything. “I won't stop you. Take it. I still haven't decided what to do with them anyway and considering what Nebula told me, I think this one planet is still the best hideout for it.  
No one knows about it, right?”  
“Only Nebula, Gamora and Thanos. Did she tell you which planet?”  
“No.”  
“Then that's all. As long as only one or two know where the Soul Stone is, we can protect it with our lives.”  
Mantis grabbed Peter's arm tightly. Ever since they had met, she didn't let go of him. She was calming his emotions, so that Peter was able to talk as calm as possible and wouldn't have to suffer too much.  
“It's time to go. Guardians, say good bye, we are leaving.”  
“I'll come with you.”  
It was Thor. “I still need to find my people. Thanos killed half of them, the other half he sent away with one of his ships. They need me.”  
“Yeah, of course. You can come with us.”

It took a quite some time to go to Vormir, but after a few weeks they finally arrived. Peter asked the others to stay on the ship, he felt like he needed to do this on his own.  
“Peter Quill.”  
A weird man with a red skull appeared out of nowhere.  
“How do you know my name?”, Peter asked, quite confused.  
“It is my duty to know every person arriving at this place. I have to inform everyone about the price the Soul Stone has. But the stone isn't here.”  
“I know. I have the stone with me. I-”  
“You want to return it. Follow me.”  
Peter started to get nervous. What if nothing happened at all? What if he would never see her again? Or what if she really came back? What was he supposed to say? “Thank God you didn't really die”?  
A cliff.  
“You need to throw the stone down. That's all. The planet will take it back and you can live peacefully.”  
Hesitation. It was incredible, but at the right moment, Peter hesitated.  
It is a chance, no guarantee. Remember that.  
He didn't throw it. He let it fall. But all he could see was how Gamora fell. How she must had screamed right before her body hit the ground. How she must have cried.  
He really wished he had killed her himself. The way Thanos killed her... It seemed like he threw something away that had been useful up until this moment and then had become useless.  
Thanos tears... His sadness... His self-pity... It all seemed like he was trying to convince himself that Gamora had been a necessary sacrifice for the greater good. But it was just murder. Thanos murdered his daughter, while saying that he loved her. It didn't make any sense.  
A yellow flash distracted Peter from his thoughts.  
When he looked up, he half expected to see Gamora standing next to him, but he wasn't even at the cliff anymore. He was back on earth, Missouri, and his mother smiled at him.  
_Peter, I'm so proud of you._ , she said and vanished, he couldn't even react.  
Now the place changed and he found himself at his fathers planet, at Ego. This time, Gamora really stood next to him.  
_We danced here for the first time. It has been so long since then._ ,she said.  
“Gamora! You're really back! I thought I'd never see you again, I-I cried, I-”  
She smiled at him, but it was a sad smile.  
_I'm not back, Peter. Thanos... Thanos killed me, I can never come back._  
“But.. but you are here, I can see you, I can touch you!”  
He grabbed her arm, stroked her beautiful skin with his thumb.  
“I can smell your parfume, I-”  
Of course she wasn't back. If she were, they wouldn't be on a planet they destroyed four years ago. If she were, Gamora and Peter would both stand at the cliff, where he dropped the Soul Stone.  
_It is just a little illusion created by the Soul Stone. A place were we share a memory. I'm dead, Peter. I'm so sorry. I'd love to be with you and the others... I..._  
Tears started to roll down her face. _I love you, Peter. More than anything. I want to be with you, grow old with you, but... I can't._  
“No! This is unfair. We just finally got together, this can't be happening. I still need to show you where I was born, I...”  
He didn't realize that he was crying until Gamore wiped of his tears.  
“I love you.”, he whispered, while she hugged him as tight as she could.  
_Let's dance. A last time, please._  
It was a sad song that started to play, and they danced to it slowly. No word was spoken while they moved together in harmony and when the song ended, they just looked into each others eyes.  
_You need to go._  
Peter stayed silent.  
_I... I don't want to go. I don't want to leave you. But..._  
“I know. We have to say good bye, right?”  
Gamora nodded, still crying. And then she kissed him one last time.  
_I'm so sorry, Peter. I love you._

 

No one spoke, when Peter returned alone, not even Thor.  
They just stood there, looking at his sad face, the eyes still red from crying.  
After a few minutes of silence, Peter looked everyone in the eyes.  
“Let's find Thor's people.”


End file.
